by Howard Campbell
SOUTH FLORIDA – One of the most covered ballads in contemporary music, Don’t Know Much has been recorded by acts like Barry Mann, Bette Midler and Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt.
Hopeton Lindo has always wanted to give the sultry single a reggae flavor and he recently got it done with fellow singer Novel-T. Self-produced for his Irie Pen Productions, and was released on July 4.
“It was my idea to cover this song as it’s one of my favorite classics and people just love it.
As a songwriter myself, I was intrigued by the storyline of meeting someone and don’t know much about them but just knew that I love them for whatever reason,” Lindo explained.
Released in 1989, the Aaron Neville/Linda Ronstadt duet is the most commercially-successful version of Don’t Know Much. It also won a Grammy Award the following year.
Lindo also wanted to share the mic with a female vocalist and he looked no further than Novel-T, for whom he has produced hit singles.
The chemistry with Novel-T and myself is like automatic, she is an amazing singer and our voices blend perfectly so for us the vibes was right.
Novel-T added, “Hopeton and I clicked immediately like I knew him all my life. We have similar work ethic, so we bring out the best in each other. Above all, we keep it real and honest, and I love that.”
Helping Hopeton Lindo and Novel-T create magic on Don’t Know Much are musicians Willie Lindo and Paul Gauntlett.
